The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for stretching and tensioning wire, particularly barbed wire, along fence posts.
Various methods and apparatus have been proposed to stretch wire along fence posts prior to securing the wire to the individual fence posts. These methods and apparatus have met with limited success. Often the apparatus is cumbersome. Also, many of the prior devices have required at least two people in order to successfully attach the wire to the fence post while maintaining tension on the wire.
One known method for stretching wire along fence posts is to attach an end of the wire to a bumper or other part of a vehicle and drive the vehicle along the fence until the wire is properly stretched. However, this requires the use of a vehicle and also requires that the operator get in and out of the vehicle to attach the wire to the fence posts.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,003 issued on May 8, 1951 to Edwards discloses a wire stretcher in which a wire is stretched by rotating the wire around a shaft. A free end of the wire is inserted into an opening in the shaft. The free end of the wire is bent around the shaft to hold it in place and each succeeding turn of wire on the shaft overlies the free end to prevent it from slipping out of the opening. A device of this type requires one person to hold the wire stretcher and the taut wire while a second person secures the wire to a fence post.
Other known wire stretching devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,303,788; 2,248,788; 2,261,413; 2,457,382; and 3,006,395. None of these devices is simple to operate and manufacture and each generally requires the use of more than one person to stretch and attach the wire to a fence post.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for stretching wire which is simple in construction and operation and is effective to stretch the wire.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which permits a single person to stretch a wire and attach the wire to a fence post while maintaining the wire in tension.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which is simple to manufacture and securely holds the wire, particularly barbed wire, which is to be stretched.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by an apparatus which comprises elongated handles which are rigidly attached to a connecting element. An elongated member is secured to the connecting element and has a continuously curved outer peripheral surface along at least a portion of its length. An open sided slot is provided along a portion of the length of the elongated member which slot extends from one end of the elongated member. The elongated member is secured to the connecting element such that the handles generally extend along a longitudinal axis of the member.
In a preferred embodiment, the elongated member is cylindrical in shape with the slot extending along a diameter of the cylindrical member. Further, the cylindrical member is wood so that barbs on a barbed wire will slightly penetrate the cylindrical member to prevent slippage of the wire during stretching.
In operation, a first section of a wire to be stretched is attached to a first post in a line of preexisting fence posts. The wire is then unrolled along the fence posts until the wire extends beyond the last fence post in the line. A second section of the wire is then inserted into the slot in the elongated member of the apparatus according to the present invention and the outer peripheral surface of the elongated member is placed against the last fence post on a side of the last post opposite the side facing the first fence post with the handles extending generally perpendicularly to the last fence post.
The handles are then rotated in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to stretch the wire. The rotation of the handles causes the elongated member to "ride", or roll, up or down the last fence post depending upon the direction of rotation of the handles. When the desired height and tension of the wire has been obtained, the stretcher of the present invention is held against counter-rotation by placing one handle against a portion of the operator's body. In this way, the hands of the operator are free to staple a third section of the wire to the last fence post at the appropriate location. The wire is then unrolled from the elongated member by rotating the handles in a reverse direction. The stretched wire is subsequently attached to the intermediate fence posts.